Truth about Saturated Fats Part 3 of 3

How to reduce the amount of saturated fats you eat
The recent FSA survey also revealed that people are unsure of how to reduce these potentially harmful saturated fats. In response, the following tips, which are still not used by many people, may be useful:

• eating fish and poultry in place of red meat can save several grams of saturated fat
• cutting the white fat off meat will cut out the visible saturated fat you eat
• taking the skin off chicken/poultry before cooking it further reduces saturated fats as most fat is located in or just under the skin
• grilling meat is only practiced by 43% of people. This is a healthier way of cooking as the fat from the meat drips away onto the grill pan whilst cooking so you don’t eat it.

These simple changes, if taken up will allow important proteins to be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced diet, while reducing our intake of saturated fat. No more than 11% of our diet should come from saturated fats which equates to about 20g for women and 30g for men. Grams of saturated fats are written on food packaging labels along with the nutrient content, so you can get an idea of how much you eat per day by adding these values together.

Other top tips are:

• try 1% fat milk and low-fat yoghurts. Look out for cheese that is lower in fat. For example brie, gouda and mozzarella are better than cheddar.
• grate cheese instead of slicing – this means you’ll eat less
• eat less pastry – limit the number of pies, pastries and sausage rolls. Also go for pies with just a lid or a base
• when cooking, use unsaturated oils such as sunflower, nut, and olive, instead of butter, lard and ghee
• chocolate snacks can be high in saturated fat, so eat an apple, banana, some dried fruit, or low fat yogurt instead
• check the label and choose food that is lower in saturates:

High > 5g sat fat per 100g
Low <>

or when using the traffic light system:

Red = High
Amber = Medium
Green = Low

Fats are an important part of a healthy balanced diet (approximately 30% of the diet) and have many roles within the human body. It is therefore important to emphasise that not all dietary fats are harmful. Fats found in oils, nuts, avocados and fish are examples of poly- and mono-unsaturated fats which should make up the other 19% of daily fat intake.

Until Next Time,

Stay Healthy,
John K Russell
Lose Weight Cheltenham
Lose Weight Gloucester
www.nomoregym.co.uk